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REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  NAVY 


C.  S.   Navy  Department, 

Richmond,.  March  2Mu  1862. 

Hon.  Thomas  S.  Boco(  k  : 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  : 

Sir:  Incompliance  with  the  resolution  adopted  by  the 
House  of  Representatives  on  the  18th  instant,  "that  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  he  requested  to  make  a  report  to  this 
House  of  the  plan  and  construction  of  the  Virginia,  so  far 
as  the  same  can  be  properly  communicated,  of  the  reasons 
for  applying  the  plan  to  the  Merrimac,  and  also  what  per- 
sons have  rendered  especial  aid  in  designing  and  building 
the  ship,"  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  on  the  10th  day 
•  >f  June,  1861,  Lieut,  John  M.  Brooke,  C.  S.  Navy,  was 
directed  to  aid  the  Department  in  designing  an  iron-clad 
war  vessel,  and  framing  the  necessary  specifications. 

He  entered  upon  this  duty  at  once,  and  a  few  days  thcre- 
afier  submitted  to  the  Department,  as  the  results  of  his  in- 
vestigations, rough  drawings  of  a  casematcd  vessel  with 
submerged  ends  and  inclined  iron-plated  sides.  The  ends 
of  the  vessel  and  the  eaves  of  the  casemate,  according  to 
his  plan,  were  to  be  submerged  two  feet,  and  a  light  bul- 
wark or  false  bow  was  designed  to  divide  the  water,  and 
prevent  it  from  banking  up  on  the  forward  part  of  the  shield 
with  the  vessel  in  motion,  and  also  to  serve  as  a  tank  to 
regulate  the  ship's  draft. 

His  design  was  approved  by  the  Department,  and  a  prac- 
tical mechanic  was  brought  from  Norfolk  to  aid  in  prepar- 
ing the  drawings  and  specifications.  This  mechanic  aided 
in  the  statement  of  details  of  timber,  &c,  but  was  unable  to 
make  the  drawings,  and  the  Department  then  ordered  Chief 
Engineer  Williamson,  and  Constructor  Porter,  from  the 
Navy  Yard,  Norfolk,  to  Richmond  about  the  23d  of  June. 


iltation  on  thi  object  gen  rally,  and  to  aid  in 

the  work. 

Constructor  Potter  brought  and  submitted  the  model  of  a 
flat-bottomed  light  draft  propellor,  casemated  battery  with 
inclined  iron-covered  Bides  and  ends,  which  is  deposited  in 
the  Department.  Mr.  Porter  and  Lieut.  Brooke  have  adopt- 
ed for  their  casemate  a  thickness  of  wood  and  iron  and  an 
angle  of  inclination  nearly  identical. 

.Mr.  Williamson  and  Mr.  Poller  approved  of  the  plan  of 
having  submerged  ends  to  obtain  the  requisite  flotation  and 
invulnerability,  and  the  Department  adopted  the  design,  and 
a  clean  drawing  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Porter  < •!'  Lieutenant 
Brooke's  plan,  which  that  officer  then  filed  with  the  Depart- 
ment. 

The  steam  frigate  Merrimac  had  been  burned  and  sunk, 
and  her  engine  greatly  damaged  by  the  enemy  ;  and  the  De- 
partment directed  Mr.  "Williamson,  Lieut.  Brooke,  and  Mr. 
Porter  to  consider  and  report  upon  the  hest  mode  of  making 
her  useful.  The  result  of  their  investigations  was  their  re- 
commendation of  the  submerged  ends  and  the  inclined  case- 
mates for  this  vessel,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Department. 
The  following  is  the  report  upon  the  Merrimac  : 

Sir:  "In  obedience  to  your  order,  we  have  carefully  ex- 
amined and  considered  the  various  plans  and  propositions 
for  constructing  a  shot-proof  steam  battery,  and  respectfully 
report  that  in  our  opinion  the  steam  frigate  Merrimao,  which 
is  in  such  condition  from  the  effects  of  fire,  as  to  be  useless 
for  any  other  purpose,  without  incurring  a  very  heavy  ex- 
pense in  her  rebuilding,  &c;  can  be  made  an  efficient  vessel 

of  that  character  mounting  ( )  heavy  guns, 

#  #  #  *  *  * 

and  from  the  further  consideration  that  we  cannot  procure 
a  suitable  engine  and  boilers  for  any  other  vessel  without 
building  them,  which  would  occupy  too  much  time.  It  would 
appear  that  this  is  our  only  chance  to  get  a  suitable  vc 
in  a  short  time.  The  bottom  of  the  hull,  hoilers,  and  hea\\ 
and  costly  parts  of  the  engine  being  but  little  injured,  re- 
duces the  cost  of  construction  to  about  one-third  of  the 
amount  which  would  be  required  to  construct  such  a  vessel 
anew. 

We  cannot  without  further  examination  make  an  accurate 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  proposed  work,  but  think  it  will 
be  about  *     *     *     *      ,  the  most  of  which  will  be  for  labor, 


the  materials  being  nearly  all  in  the  Navy  Yard,  except  the 
iron  plating  to  cover  the  shield. 

The  plan  to  be  adopted  in  the  arrangement  of  the  shield 
for  glancing  shot,  mounting  guns,  arranging  the  hull,  &c, 
and  plating  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  plan  submitted  for 
the  approval  of  sthe  Department." 

We  are,  with  much  respect, 

Your  obedient  servants, 

WM.  P.  WILLIAMSON, 

Chief  Engineer  C.  S.  N. 
JNO.  M.  BROOKE, 

Lieutenant  C.  S.  N. 
JNO.  L.  PORTER, 

Naval  Constructor. 

Immediately  upon  the  adoption  of  the  plan,  Mr.  Porter* 
■was  directed  to  proceed  with  the  constructors  duties.  Mr. 
Williamson  was  charged  with  the  Engineer's  Department, 
and  to  Mr.  Brooke  was  assigned  the  duties  of  attending  to 
preparing  the  iron  and  forwarding  it  from  the  Tredegar 
Works,  the  experiments  necessary  to  test  the  plates,  and  to 
determine  their  thickness,  and  devising  heavy  rifled  Ord- 
nance for  the  ship,  with  other  details  pertaining  to  Ordnance. 

These  gentlemen  labored  zealously  and  effectively  in  their 
several  departments.  Mr.  Porter  cut  the  ship  down,  sub- 
merged her  ends,  performed  all  the  duties  of  constructor, 
and  originated  all  the  interior  arrangements,  by  which  space 
has  been  economised ;  and  he  has  exhibited  ability,  energy 
and  ingenuity. 

Mr.  Williamson  thoroughly  overhauled  her  engines,  sup- 
plied deficiencies,  and  repaired  defects,  and  improved  great- 
ly the  motive  power  of  the  vessel.  Mr.  Brooke  attended 
daily  to  the  iron,  constructed  targets,  ascertained  by  actual 
tests,  the  resistance  offered  by  inclined  planes  of  iron  to 
heavy  Ordnance,  and  determined  interesting  and  important 
facts  in  connection  therewith,  and  which  were  of  great  im- 
portance in  the  construction  of  the  ship,  devised  and  pre- 
pared the  model  and  drawings  of  the  ship's  heavy  Ordnance — 
being  guns  of  a  class  never  before  made,  and  of  extraordi- 
nary power  and  strength. 

It  is  deemed  inexpedient  to  state  the  angle  of  inclination, 
the  character  of  the  plates  upon  the  ship,  the  manner  of 
preparing  them,  or  the  number,  calibre  and  weight  of  the 
guns ;  and  many  novel  and  interesting  features  of  her  con- 


struction,  which  were  experimentally  determined,  are  neces- 
sarily omitted. 

The  novel  plan  of  Bnbmerging  the  en^a  of  the  ship,  ami 
the  eaves  of  the  casemate,  however^  is  the  peculiar  and  dis- 
tinctive feature  of  the  Virginia.  It  was  never  before 
adopted. 

The  resistance  of  iron  plates  to  heavy  Ordnance,  whether 
presented  in  vertical  planea  or  at  low  angles  of  inclination, 
had  bees  investigated  in  England  before  the  Virginia  was 
commenced;  ami  Major  Barnard,  U.  8.  A.,  had  referred  to 
the  subject  in  his  "  Sea-coasi  Defences. 

We  were  without  accurate  data,  however,  and  were  com- 
pelled to  determine  the  inclination  of  the  plates  and  their 
thickness  and  form  by  actual  experiment. 

The  Department  has  freely  cunsultcd  the  three  excellent 
officers  referred  to,  throughout  the  labors  on  the  Virginia, 
and  they  have  all  exhibited   signal  ability,  energy  am!  . 
I  have  the  honor  to  be. 

Very  respectfully. 

Your  ob't  servant. 
S.  R.  MALLORY, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy, 


Hollinger  Corp. 
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